


The Kung Fu Pencil Pusher

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-08
Updated: 2014-10-08
Packaged: 2018-02-20 08:23:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2421800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things happen in a split second when you work the field and decisions sometimes have to be made that way as well.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Kung Fu Pencil Pusher

**Author's Note:**

> This story was expanded from a comment fic in which [](http://kosmickway.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://kosmickway.livejournal.com/)**kosmickway** prompted me with **‘Erin gets injured when she goes out into the field. Her response AND Dave’s’**.

Dave rushed down the hall of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. He passed Morgan, who was leaning against the wall. Prentiss and JJ sat in chairs while Reid didn’t seem to know what to do. Ashley Seaver managed to give him an encouraging smile. The senior profiler paid them no mind as he barged into the hospital room. Erin turned to look at him. She had no idea what was getting ready to happen.

“Really?” He asked, his brown eyes bearing down on her. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Don’t you speak to me in that tone, Dave. I was…”

“You could’ve been killed!” he exclaimed. “Is that were you were going for? I didn’t think you had a death wish. Or were you trying to make up for Milwaukee…show everyone you're more than some pencil pusher.”

“You go to hell.”

Erin’s blue eyes flashed dark. She should've known that he knew about Milwaukee. Was there anything this team didn’t share with each other?

“Erin, this is not a joke.”

“I never said it was. And the pencil pusher shit wasn’t funny either. One thing has nothing to do with the other. You were retired from the FBI then so you would do better not to involve yourself where you don’t belong. I'm fine."

"You're not fine."

"I'm fine!" She said it a little louder but that only made her head hurt. She grabbed it. "Dammit, I'm not going to do this right now. Stop it."

"What the hell were you thinking? You're not Superwoman and you don’t leap tall buildings in a single bound!"

"Agent Morgan..."

"Is slightly insane and trained to do what he does." Hotch came into the hospital room and looked at Section Chief Erin Strauss.

He hadn’t wanted her coming to Corvallis with them in the first place. When she pressed, saying it was more about evaluation than sticking her nose in how they conduct themselves in the field, Hotch relented. He partnered her with Morgan; Prentiss would've been a bad idea. It couldn’t be Rossi for reasons only partly known to the Unit Chief, and he was too busy to baby-sit her.

When they went to question someone they thought may have witnessed one of the abductions, things went south quickly. He ran and Morgan took off after him. Erin, who had clearly seen too many episodes of _Starsky and Hutch_ , ran in the other direction to cut him off. Her confrontation with the guy landed her with a concussion.

"I gave Agent Morgan enough time to catch the guy." She said in a smug tone. “I even got in some hits.”

"You used yourself as a punching bag!" Rossi exclaimed. "What the hell were you thinking?"

“Stop asking me that, David!”

“Dammit, Erin…”

"Dave..." Hotch tried to stem the tide.

"No, Aaron, hell no. Did she really think...?"

"Dave, stop." Hotch put his hand on his teammate's shoulder, leaning in to whisper. "Respect your teammates first and foremost, you know that. Whatever else is involved has to come second."

"But she..." Dave pointed at her. He was fired up and the inferno wasn’t easily extinguished.

"He just doesn’t listen." Erin said.

"Don’t push it, Blondie." Dave replied through clenched teeth.

"Out." Hotch pointed to the door. Dave gave him the look but Hotch stared it down and won. Dave stormed out of the room. Hotch really hoped no one asked him what was wrong. They probably wouldn’t since his shouting was heard in Washington State.

"You handle him quite well."

"What you did was stupid...ma'am." Hotch said. "You could've been severely injured or worse."

"I didn’t wear high heels this time. I've done field work Agent Hotchner...limited field work, and..."

"When you're with me, you're my responsibility. Do it again and you're out of a job, are we understood?"

"Yes sir, we are." Erin nodded.

"Now relax." Hotch softened his tone. "They're keeping you overnight for observation. And I'm sure Rossi will be back when he's calmed down some."

“Honestly, he can stay wherever the hell he is if his only intent is to lecture me.”

Hotch left the room, wanting nothing more than not to be in the middle of that squabble. Erin leaned back on the pillows. Her head was killing her but she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. She'd almost taken a guy out. Almost rarely counted in her black and white world. She definitely planned on counting it tonight.

The guy didn’t expect to get an arm to his throat, that’s for sure. It threw him off for a moment but he grabbed Erin, barreling them into the brick wall of the alley he’d run down. Her head hit it hard, she saw stars, but still fought back. Agent Morgan pulled the guy off her and smacked his face into the wall. It wasn’t until he was subdued and handcuffed that Erin vomited. Then she nearly passed out.

Morgan called for backup and an ambulance. She was dizzy, nauseous, and a little confused but she knew she kicked ass. That brown belt in karate had to come in handy eventually. Life was not a kung fu movie though…the moves didn’t always translate well in real life. Erin’s being quick of mind, temper, and reflex probably kept her from a fate much worse than a concussion.

She wondered if Dave and Aaron Hotchner even knew about her brown belt. It didn’t matter anyway; nothing would ever convince them that she hadn't stepped out of her place. The two men were thinking it for different reasons but still thinking it. Erin found it hard to deal with all the conflicting feelings in her brain right now.

She felt victory but also anger. There was pain, contempt, and certainly a little ‘fuck yeah’. Getting some sleep and thinking about it later was the best idea. She wasn’t going anywhere tonight so dreaming of another place was the best she could get.

***

Erin’s eyes opened slowly and took in everything around her. It took a few minutes for her to realize she was not in her comfy bed in Fairfax, Virginia. She was in a hospital but for the life of her couldn’t remember what city. Someone had come in to turn down the lights and she was wearing an ugly hospital gown. She remembered kicking a guy’s ass. Yeah, she kicked a guy’s ass.

But what city was she in? Erin wanted to wrack her brain but her head was still hurting. It wasn’t as bad as before but still no picnic. Dave was asleep in the corner, feet up on the window sill. They’d had a fight. Oh sweet Lord, they had a fight in front of Aaron Hotchner.

Surely the whole team was in the hallway or somewhere close by when it went down. She wanted to throw something at him, wake him from his sweet dreams, and give him another piece of her mind. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot to spare at the moment. And Dave was waking up anyway. His eyes came open and they looked at each other. She refused to look away first so he let her win that round, he usually let her win. He got up from the chair, did a long, lazy stretch, and then moved the chair over to her hospital bed.

“Agent Morgan bought you a gift.” Dave handed Erin the bag.

“What? He bought me a gift? Why?”

“He told me to tell you it was for being badass.”

She smiled, pulling the plush toy out of the bag. Erin could only laugh when she saw it. He bought her one of those silly stuffed hamsters. It was dressed in karate clothes and had a little black belt. In its hands was a pair of plastic nunchuks.

When Erin squeezed the hand, _Kung Fu Fighting_ came out in a high-pitched song. She laughed again and watched it dance and swing its nunchuks. When the routine was over she put it back in the bag and handed it to Dave.

“I guess that was really sweet.”

“He thought you might get a kick out of it.”

“I do.” She smiled.

“So, um, I may have overreacted slightly when I was here this afternoon.” Dave said.

 _You think_ , Erin thought. _You acted like an unmitigated horse’s ass. I wanted to jump up from this bed and slap you silly and I haven’t done that in a long time. And you put me on the spot in front of Aaron Hotchner. I can't for the life of me think what he must have been thinking when you…_

“Baby? You’ve got the strangest look on your face.” Dave touched her shoulder. “Do you want me to call the doctor? Are you alright?”

“What?” Erin focused on him again. Words were still running through her mind; words she wanted to say to him and make him understand. “What did you say?”

“You seemed to zone out. Are you alright?”

“I'm fine. Don’t you ever act like that again, David. It was embarrassing in front of Aaron Hotchner and that’s just unacceptable.”

“I was worried that something happened to you. All I get is a call saying Erin Strauss was hurt by a possible suspect. How would you feel if that would’ve been me?”

“You mean like the time I watched you get stabbed?” Erin asked. “I worry every time you walk out the door. I know you're just doing your job and its cold comfort but I hold onto it. That’s all I was doing this afternoon.”

“It’s not your job.” Dave replied. “You're a…”

“I'm a what? A pencil pusher?”

“C'mon, that’s not fair. I wasn’t going to say that. You know you're more than that to me. Of course, I'm glad that you sit in a plush office. At least when you're there I know you're safe. Out here…I was losing my mind worried something had happened to you.” He reached for her hand. “I love you and, as caveman-esque as it sounds, I always want to protect you.”

“I can protect myself.” Erin didn’t say it in an angry tone. She squeezed his hand for emphasis. “I got a little shaken up out there but I protected myself. I just followed my instinct, Dave, and my instinct told me that the guy was trying to get away for a reason. Did you interrogate him?”

“Morgan did…and the guy nearly peed his pants. He made a break for it because he’s already on probation for some misdemeanor junk and feared getting caught up in this would somehow land him in jail on a probation violation. He was out past his curfew when he saw the abduction. He was also high.”

“Oh.”

“I'm just glad you're alright.” He leaned to give her a gentle kiss, caressing her face. “I'm proud of you as well, please believe that.”

“OK.” Erin replied.

“I mean it. I surely didn’t mean to throw Milwaukee in your face; I'm sorry. That was uncalled for Erin, and won't ever happen again. You showed that you have instinct and balls, whether it was the smartest move or not. Things happen in a split second when you work the field and decisions sometimes have to be made that way as well.”

“Yeah, I know. The doctor says I should be off my feet a few days so I guess I’ll be back at the hotel doing reports and such.”

“You can always fly home.” Dave suggested.

“I have to observe twice a year and see a whole case through. I figure I’ll obey doctor’s orders for a day and then get back out there.”

“Do you ever quit?” he managed a grin.

“What's the fun in that? But…maybe when we get home Doctor Rossi will take care of me.”

“Oh you have no ideas how many remedies I have for what might ail you, baby.”

“Let me count the ways. Give me another kiss.”

Dave did as she asked, saying I love you just as his lips touched hers. Showing affection in the field wasn’t his best idea but he needed to feel connected. She was going to be OK and as long as Erin was, so was he. Dave was grateful that this wouldn’t be a regular occurrence. He didn’t know how some agents handled having a spouse or lover in the same predicament they were. He was the one who put his life at risk; Erin needed to be safe and sound. Taking care of her for the next week or so would make him feel much better.

“I need to go back to sleep.” She said. “You should go back to the hotel and…”

“Erin, I'm not leaving you.”

“Yes you are, Agent Rossi. You need to help the team solve this case. You made a promise to the victims and their families.”

He nodded, knowing she was right. Still, no one should have to spend the night alone in the hospital. Dave hugged her and held on as tight and as long as he could. Then he let go, taking a deep breath.

“Call me as soon as you wake up.” He said.

“I will. You be careful out there and solve this case.”

“Yes ma'am. Sweet dreams, baby, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Erin didn’t want to let him go but knew it was for the best. There was plenty of time for them to be together. She wanted to go home, wrap up in his arms, and forget the world for a few days. She wanted to be waited on and comforted. Dave didn’t need to do it forever, just for a little while. Erin might forget so many things in life, the bump on the head wouldn’t help with that. But she would never forget how much that man truly loved her.

***

  



End file.
